Air circulating blower



Sept. 13,- 1949. A. R. CONSTANTINE AIR CIRCULATING BLOWER Filed Oct. 18, 1947 INVENTOR ARTHUR R. Con/spawn:

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 13, 194-9 UNITED STATES AIR CIRCUL'ATING BLOWER Arthur R. Constantine, South Eenc'LInd, assignor to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., South "Bend, Ind, a "corporation of Delaware Application october.18, 1947, SerialNo. r70y709 1 This invention relates .to an air circulating blower and the mechani-sm -illustrated is ,=particiilarly adapted to be used with-a clothes drying machine. 7

In the construction of a blower ior use Tin circulating .air where it is .necessary that the air handled by the blower shall be .free from oil (particles,-and where theblowermust rotate at .a.relatively high rate of speed, special consideration must .be :given to the typeof bearing employed for the rotating part :of the blower since it is necessary that satisfactory lubrication be .provided together with satisfactory sealing .of the bearing and .particularly the portion thereof which extends into the air-stream.

In the :type of blower under consideration the rotating :fan or impeller portionextend-s into a housing and the assembly is rotated andsupported from the outside of the housing.

It is a .primary object -of this invention .to :pro-

vide a bearing supported -on the outside of a housing and extending into the housing with means to circulate lubricant to all parts of the hearing withoutallowing leakage therefromv -The above and other objects of the invention will appear more fully in the iollowing more detailed:description-andby reference tothe'accompanying drawings forming .a .part hereof and wherein:

lFigure-l is a view of the. blower'andedrive show-- ing the manner in which the blower and bearing areattachedfor support andthemannerin which the supporting bracket is secured to the blower housing.

Figure'2 is asectional viewoi the blower -.the section being taken longitudinally through the :center of the drive shaft.

-Referling to the drawings, a;pluralityof blades 3 shown in Figure 2 are attached to :a flanged member-4. The flange von-the member lserves to secure it-tothe-blower wheel -5. A tubular memher 6 inside and is attached to the flanged member 4, this member 4 fitting over the outside of tubular member 45 in integral sealed relationship therewith. FEwo-bearings l-.and-8, which'surh round2a shaft .9, are carriedin thetub-ular member'z'fi 'and rotate with it-and permit freedom of rotation of the blower wheel assembly about the shaft 9 which remains stationary. A blower housing plate If; is provided with a circular hole ofsufficientdiarneter to allow the insertion of the tubular member 6 which enclosesthe shaft 9. Support for the end of shaft --9 is furnished by a mounting bracket II with threads on the end of the shaft 9 permitting it to 'be secured to .the brackt -l l'by- 'the check unit [-2 which is tightened against the lock Washer 1'3. "The'bracket LITI is formed bybending a strip ofmetaLthe lowerend of which'is attached'to'blower housing plate f by welding, and the upperend of which is attached to the blower housingplate I ll by ascrew M which screws into a projection weld l on the '4-Claims. (01. 230-207) face of the blower .housing plate I9. Aspacer TE surrounds thescrew [land is intended to hold the upper ,end of the bracket -II .at a suflic'ient distance from theblower housing plate ll]. Cantilever support of the entire blower wheel assembly is thus :providedirom the bracket H through its supportoftheend.ofshaft 9.

The shaft .9 is provided with a hollow center extending:horizo-ntallythrough the greater part of its :length. and witha hole at rig'ht'angles to the hollow center which is bored at ,point .A on .the shaft just inside the bracket. Ilihis'ho'llow .center is designed to containa felt oil wick I! which protrudes throughtheendof the sha'ftatpoint B and through .the =verticalholein the shaitat point A. .In order to .keep the .oil .wick i .satura'tedat all times an .oil reservoirassembly 'IB surrounds the shaft '9 (at .a point just inside the mountin bracket ll. .Inside the oil reservoir 18 and -.surrounding theshaftlfi is a Iflt washer .19 which is saturated with voilancl with which one end of the oil wick .ll isin continual contact.

Mounted on the .tubularmember B at .a .point outside of and adjacent to the blower ihousing plate 10 is..a .pulley E211 whichis rotated by afibelt 2|.

In order to retain Ithe'blower wheel assembly Eandtuhular member 6 onthe shaft I9 afflange 22 is provided on hearing .8 which .is retained by a spring washer T23 and ya snap ring 12.4 which fits in agroove-cut around itheend of thexshaft 19.

A sealing cap '25 fits inside-theflanged member 4 andseals -the .end .of the unit so that there are no openings .Whereoilcan escape .orilint can enter thelbearingifrom the inside of the'blowerihousing. The seal of.member 25 is carefully made ,-preferably both .by ..close lit .and hardening sealing agent. in effect the shaft B supported from the outside end'on' bracket |.I extendsitno the housing .and tubular .member I6 carrying lbearings .l

and B'fits over the shaft 9 and has, its outer .end,

sealed. The wick I! is of sulficient length to bend. as shown inFigure2 'to contact the sealing cap 275 on'its inside suffacejat a point :definitely outside the center of rotation ofthe cap25. Such contact on rotation of cap25 will assist "flow .of oil from the end of wick I1. v V

"Thusit is apparent thatfor'theportion of the assembly'whi'ch extends inside the blower housing'a completely sealedin'system oflubrication is provided. Before "the unit is assembled the 'oil wick "ll andthe' felt washer l9' are saturated with oil. 'Asmallhole ZBinthe shaft 9'connects the hollow center "of the shaft with the bearing *1, and 'asirnil'arhole"ZTin the-shaft 9 connects the hdllow'center'of'theshaftwiththebearingt. Oil travels along the-wick "1? carried in'the hollow centerof'shaftband runs downthe'holes 2'6 and 2! thus providing continual lubrication for the bearings! an'd'8.

Theend of-the tubularmember *6 which extends inside theoil reservoirassembly i8 'is provided with a sharp edge 28 which is designed as an oil slinger to throw the excess oil returning from the bearings I and 8 against the felt washer l9 where it will be absorbed. The end of the tubular member 6 is also provided with a groove adjacent to the edge 28, which groove prevents the oil creeping back toward the blower wheel 5. Although it is extremely unlikely that any oil could escape from the reservoir assembly l8, nevertheless, if this should happen due to an excess of oil added before assembly, the outside face of the pulley is curved outwardly in order to act as a secondary slinger to throw any excess oil in a direction away from the blower wheel 5, thus affording an additional preventative measure to preclude the possibility of any oil flowing into the blower housing from the outside end.

In operation the tubular member 6 carrying the fan blades 3 is rotated from the belt 2| and pulley 20 as shown. The supporting shaft 9 carries the wick l1 and this wick l'l extends downwardly at each end and at the outer end extends against the sealing cap 25, as previously mentioned, at a point outside the center of rotation, so that the tendency on rotation is for the centrifugal force to act on the oil at the end of the wick l1 and to throw the oil outward thus assisting oil circulation from the end of the wick IT. Inasmuch as the oil which is collected at the end of the wick [1 near the sealing member gradually finds its way backward along the bearings 1 and 8 carried inside the tubular member 6, the result is a continuous circulation of oil through the wick l1, indced both by capillarity in the wick IT and centrifugal force on the oil at the end of the wick, thus bringing oil to the inside of the sealed end 25 and back through the bearings I and 8 to the oil slinger edge 28 on the end of the tubular member 6 and into reservoir l8 to be absorbed by washer I9 and again picked up by the end of wick IT to start the circulation over again. Because of the sealed end made up of members 4 and 25, however,

oil cannot leak out into the blower housing although satisfactory circulation of oil in all parts of the bearing assembly is assured.

Inasmuch as under normal conditions there is no way in which oil can escape from the lubricating system, and there is no opening in the blower housing through which lint or dirt can enter, this unit is capable of continuous operation over a very long period of time without the necessity of supplementing the oil supply. This air circulation of said'blower, a support shaft sup-.

ported outside said housing and extending into said housing, a tubular member carrying said rotatable member and extending over said shaft and having an end thereof sealed, a shar edge oil slinging portion on said tubular member on the end thereof extending outside said housing, an oil reservoir surrounding said sharp edged portion, a wick extending through a hollow central portion of said shaft from said reservoir to contact said sealing member at a point away from the center of rotation of said tubular member whereby oil circulation from said reservoir through said wick to the outer end of said shaft adjacent said tubular member is induced on rotation of said 4 tubular member and oil returning to said sharp edge oil slinging portion is returned to said reservoir on rotation of said tubular member.

2. In a blower having a housing for directing air circulation, a rotatable member inside the housing of said blower, a support shaft supported outside said housing and extending into said housing, a tubular member carrying said rotatable member and extending over said shaft and having an end thereof inside said housing sealed, an oil circulating system for carrying oil from outside said housing into and out of said sealed tubular member comprising a wick extending through the hollow central portion ofsaid shaft and contacting a,

rotating portion of the interior of said sealed end at position away from the center of rotation whereby flow of oil from the end of said wick is assisted by centrifugal force.

3. In a blower having a housing for directing air circulation, a non-rotatable hollow shaft which projects inside said housing through an opening provided therein, a cylindrical bearing carrying member which surrounds said shaft, said cylindrical member being closed at the end which extends inside said housing and open at the opposite end which is outside said housing, a fan wheel mounted upon said cylindrical member at its closed end, an absorbent wick which is saturated with lubricant and inserted inside the hollow center of said shaft, an oil reservoir assembly which surrounds said shaft and said cylindrical member at its open end outside the housing, an opening in said hollow shaft allowing said absorbent wick to protrude into said oil reservoir, conduits com prising transverse holes in said shaft which conduct oil from said wick inside said shaft to said,

bearings, an oil slinger which comprises a sharp edge on the end of said cylindrical member which is enclosed in said oil reservoir assembly, an absorbent member inside said oil reservoir which absorbs oil thrown off by said slinger.

4. In a blower of the type described which is adapted to rotate about a fixed shaft supported at one end and having a hollow center, a cylindrical bearing member which surrounds said shaft, said cylindrical member being sealed at one end and open at its opposite end, a blower Wheel mounted on said cylindrical member adjacent its closed end, an absorbent wick which is saturated with lubricant and inserted inside the hollow center of said shaft, an oil reservoir assembly which surrounds said shaft and said cylindrical assembly at its open end, an opening in said hollow shaft permitting said absorbent wick to protrude into said oil reservoir, an oil slinger which comprises a sharp edge on the end of said cylindrical member which is enclosed in said oil reservoir assembly, an absorbent member inside said oil reservoir which absorbs oil thrown off by said slinger.

ARTHUR R. CONSTANTINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 124,6 8 Paul Mar. 12, 1872 169,975 Faught Nov.. 16, 1875 485,513 Thomas Nov, 1, 1892 2,184,197 Schutte Dec. 19, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 78,725 Sweden Dec. 13, 1930 

